projectlokifandomcom-20200214-history
Martian Culture
Mars culture revolves around one thing: conflict. To a martian, to live is to be tested and to struggle is to live. Conflict as Life "To live is to be tested." Every major event in a Martian's life ends with a potentially fatal test. This is not only common, but expected. Childhood ends when a child has gained the ability to fight and, once they're ready to take the test, they're sent to an arena and fight against an appropriate challenge. Should they win, they will have spilt blood and, regardless of their actual age, they are considered an adult and begin training in a trade. This is not to say that duels are the only means of testing, however. Any test is a rather extreme situation akin to what they would do after mastering a particular skill. Pilots, for example, are often taken to the asteroid belt and are forced through the belt at breakneck speeds before they're permitted to transport another. Craftsmen and mechanics are the only exception to this in that a craftsman ''must ''master a skill that's used with whatever they're creating or fixing. Literally, a gunsmith places his life in his the hands of his craftsmanship, as the test that he takes involves him using equipment that he's created in the very same test that someone who's mastering a skill would take. Mechanical Effects Martians often have exceedingly high Attributes and multiple levels of the Talent Advantage in relation to their particular field. Additionally, all Martians have at least two combat skills. Bloodlust is also a required disadvantage for Martians. Berserk is another common disadvantage. Combat Paralysis is an impossiblity for a Martian to have. Frenzied Existance Celebrations for life are held almost nightly on Mars and there's very little real law preventing what occurs during these celebrations. Anything from dancing to pyrotechnics to spectator-based combat are common and little is done to keep most of these contained. That said, there's little real danger to individuals, as anyone who would be dangerously reckless with anything that would occur during a celebration would be weeded out during a test that they'd take prior to assisting with creating such a situation. Additionally, the idea of a long-term relationship is nearly a foreign concept to a Martian. "One-night stands" and "flings" are common and there is only one law regulating it: all involved parties must be consenting adults. Considering that "adulthood" has very little impact on age, however, this can create some confusion from foreigners. Finally, since there are no real modesty laws on Mars, public displays tend to be far more intense than on another planet, but can also be far more rare - privacy is still preferred. Mechanical Effects All Martians have the Compulsive Behavior Disadvantage, likely Compulsive Carousing, combined with the Alcohol Tolerance Advantage. Many Martians are also Easy to Read. Additionally, Martians tend to have a streak of Impulsiveness coupled with a touch of Lecherousness. This makes for an extremely odd and potentially uncomfortable situation for a foreigner should they come to the planet in the middle of a celebration! On the Edge is another common disadvantage, but grants a +2 reaction bonus for any other Martian. The Martian Family A Martian familial group is rare, but generally made up of individuals who get along well together either due to professional proximity or personal history. Even a case that would be considered "husband and wife" on another planet is unlikely to have such a binding cultural weight. Children are cared for by their family up until adulthood and for a time after their ascention to adulthood, but there's rarely pressure to leave their current family. Due to the rather frenzied approach to life and almost flippant view on sex, it's quite common for a child to never know who at least one parent even is, and, generally, such has very little weight. A true biological sibling is rare with half-siblings being far more common, but it's rare for any to know of it. Econimics Due to technology creating a post-scarcity economy, there is an absolute lack of any form of currency whatsoever. Even charged powerstones aren't used as a form of currency. No value is placed upon trade, tools, or even items unless they're yours. Gear is custom built for the individual. Skills and personel are far more valuable than any item. Mechanical Effects Wealth is immediately set to the absolute minimum while those points are spent on Signature Gear. Miserliness and Greed are imposiblities for a Martian. Compulsive Spending is common due to a lack of value placed upon money, but donating said money is exceedingly rare! Category:Culture